byers



v (No Model.) Y

' J. F. BYERS.

PNEUMATIC CLUTCH.

- Patented Apr. 3, 1894..

V i z I r r i I A. Z T I I D wm THE NATIONAL umopruw wunmarcn.

mm any UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

oHNF. BYERs, or RAVENNA, 'oHIo, ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHN F. BYERS MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PNEUMATIC CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,679, dated April 3, 1894.

Application filed anuary 2, 1894.

for its object to provide for the employment of steam, compressed air, or any suitable fluid, under pressure, for setting the clutch, and the lnventlon consists inthe new constructions'and combinations substantially ashereinafter described and pointed out-in the claims. j

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 s a side elevation of a drum and shaft havng my'new clutch mechanism embodied therein. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal. section of the same. Fig. 3 is a face View of the clutch mechanism, partly in section, as seen in the particular construction ofthe drum does'not direction of the arrow on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the drum head and the drivingdisk, showing the shoe for setting said disk against the annular rim on the drum head.

Like'referenoe letters indicate like parts throughout the several views. 1

A is a shaft. Disa drumloosely placed on said shaft, and consists of heads D, and D provided with hubs d d for mounting the drum upon the shaft. The body of the drum may consist of a cylinder secured to the larger portions of said hubs, but the drum' may be constructed in any well known manner. The

form any part of my invention but is represented to show adaptation of my-new clutch to same The heads are both providedwith wide annular rims, or flanges.

B is a disk having a huband is keyed fast to the shaft A'for turning with'the same.

It sets close up to the web of drum head D' but I does not quite touch it.- The disk B'has an annular rim or flange B a short distance from its periphery forming an annular rabbet in which is provided the mechanism for-binding said disk B to thedrum head when required for rotating the drum.

C is a ring plate secured to the disk 13 Serial No. 495,293- (No model.)

meansof screws, c c, to the rim of said disk,

this closes the front of the rabbet, and forms ,it into an annular chamber to contain the said binding mechanism. i v r E are segmental shoes fitted to bear against theinside surface of the rim on the head D, between the shoes and said rim a band of leather or other suitable material F is provided, by whichincreased friction maybe obtained. Over the space between the ends of said shoes where they come together in the rim are placed thin pieces of steel, or other suitable material, G, Fig. 3, for the purpose-of covering the aperture, the pieces of steel being fastened to one of the shoes to keep it in place. Each of said shoes is provided with lugs e midway between their ends, which project through slots in the rim of disk B to which are attached springs S S,'which serve to withdraw the shoes when pressure upon them is relinquished.

H is a pressure chamber'between the rimB and the shoes E and is provided with flexible sacks or other packing material to prevent end of the shaftheld. by a sleeve m screwed into the end of the shaft, and bearing against the head on said pipe L.

N is a stuffing box in the end of sleeve m held in by a screw cap 0 on the end of the sleeve. The purpose of pipe L is for making 7 connection .With source of power as compressed airor other fluid, under pressure, as a means for applying pressure upon the shoes E for setting the clutch.

The working of this mechanism is as fol- 1ows:.-The fluidpressure being admitted to the bore in the shaftpasses through the pipes and tubes J I, into thesacks or tubes'H which being flexible are expanded, and thus press- 5 lngon the shoes E forces them against the rim of the head D, and binds the diskBfirmly to the head, thereby causing the drum to rotate with the driving disk B. Shutting-0E the fluid pressureand allowing the fluid to escape from the sacks, the springss willwithdraw the shoes and thereby release the drum. Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a pneumatic clutch the combination of a flanged disk D, loosely mounted on shaft A, and disk B keyed fast upon said shaft, in

close proximity to said disk D, shoesE placed 2. In a pneumatic clutch, the combination of shaft A, driving disk B permanently mounted on said shaft, drum D loosely mounted on said shaft, segmental shoes E between the flange B on disk B and outer flange of disk D, band F between the shoes and said outer flange, metal strips G closing the apertures between the ends of said shoes, flexible sacks H between said shoes and the flange B, retracting springs 8 attached to lugs e on said shoes, pipes I and J connecting the sacks H with the bore K in the shaft A substantially as described.

JOHN F. BYERS. Witnesses:

J. H. DUSSEL, D. O. COLLINS. 

